Is Morocco dependent on Western Sahara for its energy supply?

But these developments have made Morocco partly dependent on Western Sahara for its energy supply. Morocco already gets 18% of its installed wind capacity and 15% of its solar from the occupied territory, and by 2030 that could increase to almost half of its wind and up to a third of its solar.

How many wind farms are there in the Western Sahara?

The projects were presented in 2012, including building three wind farms in Morocco and two in the occupied “southern provinces”. There are two sites in development in the Western Sahara: a 100 MW near Boujdour and a 300 MW in Tiskrad—near the territory’s capital, El Aaiun.

Who is the current president of Western Sahara?

Brahim Ghali is the current president and Secretary-General of Western Sahara, SADR. At an election held on July 9, 2016 in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Ghali was chosen as the next President and Secretary-General of Western Sahara.

Will the EU import energy from the Western Sahara?

Due to the status of the Western Sahara, the EU has said that it would not import energy from the territory. It is separate from Morocco under international law, and no country officially recognises the occupation as legitimate—though some do in practice.

Could Morocco build a solar farm in the Sahara Desert?

The Moroccan monarchy is now betting big on renewables, given the potential for wind and solar. The idea of building solar farms across the Sahara Desert is not novel. In Morocco proper, the Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex will be the largest concentrated solar plant in the world.

Why is Morocco occupying the Western Sahara?

One key issue has been achieving legitimacy for its illegal occupation of the Western Sahara. A sparsely populated and largely uninhabitable territory, the Western Sahara was a Spanish colony until as recently as 1976. Moroccan troops now occupy about 70%, and it has sent in civilian settlers to claim the land.